LIS Study Circle on 'Institutional Repository'

LIS Study Circle’s monthly session took place at Prof. Dr. Khalid Mahmood’s office on Sept. 10, 2009 . The topic of discussion was “Institutional Repositories’. The participants discussed different aspects of the topic, e.g. Definition, Concept, Characteristics, Software Applications for Institutional Repositories, etc.

The discussion was followed by an Iftar Party by Prof. Dr. Khalid Mahmood, at a local restaurant of Lahore.

The recommendations of the LIS Study Circle are:

Recommendation:

1. It is recommended to arrange training workshops/seminars/lectures to train the LIS professionals of the country to successfully implement institutional repositories.
2. Library Associations/Schools/Professional Groups may propose a formal draft for university and special libraries to formally implement institutional repositories in their respective institutions/organizations.
3. Libraries should use specialised software applications specifically developed for ‘institutional repositories’. The circle recommended DSpace and EPrints software for the development of institutional repositories. However it was felt that further evaluation is necessary to finalise the choice of software applications.

Knowledge Management in Libraries

LIS Study Circle's meeting took place at Dept. of Library & Information science, University of the Punjab, Lahore (Pakistan) on August 19, 2009. The topic was 'Knowledge Management in Libraries'. The discussion's focus, mainly, was on:

1. Definitions and Concepts of Information, Knowledge, and Knowledge Management (KM)
2. Evolution of Concept & Terminology
3. Technology for KM Applications
4. Role of Librarians and Libraries in KM

The participants explored the topic in open discussion and it was really a brainstorming session started from 6:30 p.m. and ended up on 8:15 p.m.. followed by a tasteful dinner at PU Executive Club.

Findings:

• It was felt that the concept and technological applications of KM are still in evolution phase.
• Business community and researchers from Business Studies' domain are playing the pivotal role in development of the discipline.
• KM domain offers much attraction for libraries and information professionals as it opens up new avenues of service for librarians/information professionals.
• The participants agreed that librarians/information professionals may/can play an important role in KM as they are traditionally and historically engaged in handling explicit knowledge.
• However, it was felt that an enhanced skill set of social, management and technological skills is necessary to play an effective role in KM practices.
• KM demands a proactive role of librarians/information professionals in an organization.
• The most important element in KM was considered the 'organizational culture'.

Recommendation:

1. There is a need to introduce the KM concept and enhance needed competencies of librarians/ information professionals of the country on a wider scale through active programming like lectures, seminars, workshops, etc.
2. It was also recommended by the participants that a formal seminar/workshop should be arranged by professional associations, library schools, or any other professional group/organization, etc. on 'Knowledge Management and Role of Libraries'.